Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.12.1991, Blaðsíða 5

.Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 13. desémb'er 1991 • 5
Reading, writing and
by
Elaine
Sigurdson
self-management
Few topics have drawn as much
attention recently as our education sys-
tem and its ability to produce people
who are able to compete in an increas-
ingly complex world. Although the de-
bate has raged over various issues
(teaching styles, the merits of testing),
little or no attention has been paid to
the factor that may be the most crucial:
the student.
We recognize the importance
of developing technique in
sports and in the arts, but
ignore it when it comes to
leaming.
As those with experience in teach-
ing will attest, what a student learns
depends on his or her own qualities as
much as on the learning experience.
Yet the focus of discussion is almost
always on the education system, on
what is being taught and how, almost
never on the system’s client.
I have worked with Toronto-area
high-school students since 1989 and
have been struck by how poorly
equipped most are to make good use of
their time in school. The core problem
is not so much lack of basics, although
this can be a problem, but the fact that
children are not being taught skills in
two areas, study and self-management,
that would help them not just in school
but in their lives.
I am continually surprised, for ex-
ample, by how little students really
know about the process of learning,
despite the fact that there is a solid
body of kno wledge on the subject. They
should be exposed, for example, to
information on how the memory works
and how to engrave strong memory
traces, how to improve concentration
and note-taking skills and how to read
critically to identify key points.
Perhaps they are least prepared for
tests and exams. Some basic strategies
for writing exams—budgeting time ac-
cording to marks assigned, doing easy
questions first, always preparing a brief
outline before starting to write—are
mysteries to them.
We recognize the importance of de-
veloping technique in sports and in the
arts, but ignore it when it comes to
leaming. Schools would prepare stu-
dents more effectively if they placed
greater emphasis on teaching the proc-
ess of leaming and not simply on fun-
nelling more content into minds ttiat
are not always receptive.
Even more debilitating than the lack
of study skills among high-school stu-
dents is the lack of self-management
skills: motivation, time management,
maintaining a positive outlook and cop-
ing with stress. Fortunately, as with
study skills, there is a wealth of infor-
mation from such fields as psychology,
business, health and fitness and com-
petitive sports.
Probably the most important skill is
self-motivation. Parents look to the
school system and teachers to provide
it, but psychologists know that motiva-
tion must come from within.
Iam continually surprised,
for example, byhowlittle
students really know about
the process ofleaming, despite
the fact that there is a solid
body ofknowledge on the
subject.
One of the most helpful techniques
to achieve motivation is specific train-
ing in goal-setting. The business world
has long recognized the power of set-
ting clear goals; many companies use
management-by-objectives perform-
ance monitoring systems.
Too many students see themselves
as passively processing their way
through the education system, helpless
victims of uncaring teachers and bor-
ing subjects, rather than feeling ac-
tively in charge.
A second skill is planning and man-
aging time. Many of our young people
juggle multiple responsibilities at
school, home and work. The majority
are unrealistic about what can be ac-
complished in a given time and need to
focus on priorities to become more
effective.
Planning skills develop quickly
with training and practice and provide
a tremendous payoff in reduced anxi-
ety and feelings of being in control.
Students come to recognize that
they cannot hope for a successful
outcome of tasks such as writing a
major research paper without first
thinking through their plan of attack.
Many, of course, do have clear
academic goals and may even know
how to go about achieving them, but
they seem to be blocked in their ability
to do so. Sometimes the problem re-
lates to self-discipline; such students
need specific training and techniques
to improve. More often, though, the
problem stems from a negative self-
image. Students who have difficulty
in math, for example, often come to
believe that no matter how hard they
work at it, they cannot do well in
this subject. This kind of negative
thinking eventually gets translated
into reality.
Students can be taught to reverse
this kind of negative conditiöning
by applying skills in relaxation and
visualizing a positive outcome. Work-
ing with sports psychologists, elite
athletes have been among the first to
use the power of positive mental im-
agery. Brian Orser has said that learn-
ing to visualize his successful world-
championship skating performance
beforehand was critical to his success.
Another common reason students
don’t achieve their goals is stress or
anxiety that saps their will and makes
them feel out of control. They are un-
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der far more stress than their parents
were: to get into university, to meet the
demands of part-time work, to cope
with uncertainty about the future.
Even the best students are not im-
mune. A student in one of my work-
shops with marks in the high 80s, for
example, had become so obsessed with
school and was experiencing such in-
tense stress that his parents were wor-
ried about his health.
When students like this one are
exposed to stress-management prin-
ciples, the change can be dramatic. It
took surprisingly little learning about
the elements of stress and ways to
manage it —planning, exercise and
relaxation techniques and a more
positive mental outlook — to see an
improvement. I am consistently ap-
palled about how little high school
students, wise beyond their years in
other areas, know about the rudiments
of stress and how to control it.
Probably the most important
skill is self-motivation. Parents
look to the school system and
teachers to provide it, but
psychologists know that
motivation must come from
within.
We as parents flock to send our
children to French immersion programs
or to computer camp in an effort to
provide them with the edge they need
to succeed in school. Nevertheless,
their ultimate success or failure will
depend not as much on a second
language, or even on computer liter-
acy, as on skills and attitudes that will
enable them to do well, not just in
school, but in life.
Our school system already faces
many pressures and demands. Unless
we provide it with a clear mandate and
the resources to teach these skills, we
will be cheating our young people of
the future they deserve.
W ** V
Elaine Sigurdson is a former man-
agement consultant and counsellor.
She currently specializes in workshops
to help high school students achieve
maximum academic performance.
Her parents are Stefan Sigurdson
(b. Hnausa) and Sylvia Brynjolfson of
Mikley (Hecla Island). Elaine was
raised in Riverton, Manitoba where
herfatherwasassociated with theman-
agement of the family business
“Sigurdson Fisheries” for many years.
He became president of the company
in 1970.
Elaine graduated with a M.A. from
the UniversityofManitoba. Sheispres-
entlyresearchingandreportingon topi-
cal educational issues as well working
in the field. Elaine and her husband
Dan Richards, who is a marketing di-
rector, are raising their family in
Oakville, Ontario.

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